Review by Lucas Bell
In what I could only describe as today being Christmas day for myself, Coheed and Cambria have finally released their 11th record, and third album in the Vaxis pentology, Vaxis – Act III: The Father of Make Believe. Announced a few months ago, with the release of the record’s second single, Searching for Tomorrow, this has been a hotly anticipated record for myself, as Coheed has been one of the fundamental bands at my core foundation for music, for over 20 years.
One way to look at The Father of Make Believe is Coheed and Cambria establishing a desire to move forward while honoring a remarkable history. Another: a series of questions, emotions, and thoughts at war with each other — “a war within myself,” as bandleader, vocalist and lead guitarist Claudio Sanchez puts it. The Father of Make Believe fits into the band’s sonic oeuvre with wailing guitars, drums that crack like fireworks, and Sanchez’s aching, powerful voice centering us through moments both placid and pinwheeling. Where the set forges new ground is in how Sanchez embraces the role of main character. Sanchez has often used epic songcraft to mask the stories he wanted to tell: reflections on an addicted father, memories of his beloved grandfather, fears about raising a child in a cruel world, anxieties around losing the love of his life. This time around, he’s writing more directly about his life and, especially, his career. Sanchez is the Father of Make Believe, gazing down upon this world he’s wrought.
SONG BREAKDOWNS
Yesterday’s Lost – Compared to the heavy hitters of ‘Prologue/The Dark Sentencer’ from Vaxis 1, and ‘The Embers of Fire/Beautiful Losers’ of Vaxis 2, ‘Yesterday’s Lost’ picks up immediately as an almost sequel to ‘Blood’ from Vaxis 2 in terms of sound, it invokes almost a feeling like ‘Keeping the Blade/Always’ and ‘Never’ from Good Apollo 1. Around the 60 second mark of the track, it feels almost like a similar transition from orchestral music into a slower track. An interesting way to open the album.
Goodbye, Sunshine – The driving guitars in the opening seconds of this track feel like the true tone setter for the record. A little bit more of a traditional rock song that I could definitely see as a single, but the track slams. The chorus is something I can see an entire audience singing at the top of their lungs.
Searching For Tomorrow – This song has been an earworm since it was released in November. One of the strongest tracks in the entire Vaxis arc. Not much I can say here, except how perfect the track is.
The Father of Make Believe – The song is equal parts aggressive and soulful at times. A balancing act Sanchez and company are very good at. This is also a great showcase for just how good drummer Josh Eppard is on the drums. Punchy at the right times, and soft and calm at the perfect moments.
Meri of Mercy – This is a zero spoiler review, but if you’re familiar with Afterman lore, you should know exactly what this song is a reference to. This almost feeds like an ‘Afterman’ B-Side, which makes sense. The blending of the Afterman era into the Vaxis era is clearer the further we get into this record, and this is another standout track on an album of song of the year contenders. Not saying that the first four songs are bad, but from Meri onwards, this album only escalates in terms of quality.
Blind Side Sonny – This is the closest we will ever get in the modern era to the old school post hardcore sound Coheed started with. And I’m okay with it. Sonny is such a banger, and it’s amazing to see that even though they’ve strayed away from this sound, they are still capable of making tunes in this style.
Play The Poet – The transition from Sonny into Poet, holy shit. Obsessed with the seamless flow. 43 seconds into my first listen, this is my favorite song off the entire record. The chorus absolutely rules, and at 2:04, the change had my jaw dropped beyond the floor. There is even a tinge of a drum and bass vibe in the second verse that gives me an insane idea that Coheed and House of Protection should collaborate on a track together. This is the best post Afterman track the band has dropped, and probably a top five all time contender for me of the band’s entire discography.
One Last Miracle – Another song I can’t say much about, because the song does all the talking for me. This is another perfect track on the album. After the heaviness of Sonny and Poet, the tone strips back into a bit more of a traditional rock song. This is another track I can totally see as a single, and the ‘One Last Miracle’ line at 2:35ish is a part I can just envision being screamed back at the band when it’s played live.
Corner My Confidence – This is a much more stripped back track that I actually didn’t expect to hit as hard as it did. This is the “Blood” song for this record. I wasn’t a fan of Blood, but ‘Corner my Confidence’ is such a beautiful track, that blends perfectly into ‘Someone Who Can’.
Someone Who Can – This track released mid January, and when it was released, I really didn’t vibe with it initially. ‘Blind Side Sonny’ and ‘Searching for Tomorrow’ were such strong, hard rock songs, that ‘Someone Who Can’ felt like a bit of a 180 sonically. But having listened within the context of the album, coupled with ‘Corner My Confidence’ before it, has made it one of the best tracks on the record.
The Continuum I: ‘Welcome to Forever, Mr. Nobody’ – Without getting into story spoilers, the opening words of this track have arguably confirmed my biggest Vaxis theory. And I cannot be more thrilled. The track rules, and is a great way to open the The Continuum suite of songs.
The Continuum II: ‘The Flood’ – The guitars in the intro, mixed with the chanting. Holy shit it’s so good. There are going to be so many Halo jokes around this song. The longest song on the record, coming in at nearly six and a half minutes, builds off the energy of ‘Welcome to Forever’, and is the perfect escalation to get us to the final two songs of the record.
The Continuum III: ‘Tethered Together’ – Most of this record, I’ve found really easy to write about. This song though, feels challenging to put something together for. Within the concept, as a bridge between ‘The Flood’ and ‘So It Goes’, it’s perfect. Some listens, I find myself loving it, but other times, it feels like a bit of a slog. It’s slow, and plodding. But that’s what it needs to be for this moment of the record before the finale. I’m sure I’ll grow to love it. I don’t have it, but I just don’t love it yet.
The Continuum IV: ‘So It Goes’ – Probably the most poppy song on the record, the song is a great way to close out the record. ‘A Window of the Waking Mind’ is a very synth/pop heavy album. So to have ‘So It Goes’ be the only real sonic connection here feels interesting, and almost feels like the connective tissue between Act 2 and Act 3. There is also a bonus track, called ‘The Omni-Voice’. When the last part of the track ended, I lost my mind. I can’t wait to hear everyone’s reaction to it.
FINAL THOUGHTS
This is definitely my favorite of the three Vaxis records so far. ‘The Unheavenly Creatures’ is a great throwback to the more prog era of the band. ‘A Window of the Waking Mind’ mixes elements of Afterman with a bit of Sanchez’s side project, Prize Fighter Inferno. But this truly feels like a band reborn.
There are some songs here, that are discography top 10 contenders. And when you’re 10 records deep, that list only gets harder to predict. This might be a hot take, but ‘Play the Poet’ is my favorite non Amory Wars “Core Four” song. It’s just so good. ‘The Flood’ and ‘Meri of Mercy’ are also excellent. And ‘One Last Miracle’ is just ace. A perfect record for Coheed fans.
Score – 10/10
Highlights – Play The Poet, Searching For Tomorrow, One Last Miracle
